Federal Newscast

Federal unions are advocating for pay raise parity between civilian and military members next year. They say not providing federal employees with a raise in 2027 would be “disastrous.”

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The Defense Department is expanding hiring flexibilities in an effort to reduce the persistently high unemployment rate among military spouses, which has held steady at around 22% or about five times the national average. 

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During March, OPM received close to 15,000 incoming retirement applications, but processed over 22,000. 

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Agencies say Iranian-linked hackers are targeting critical industries like the U.S. energy and water sectors.

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The Space Force budget would see a major increase under President Donald Trump’s massive $1.5 trillion defense proposal. The White House is requesting $71 billion for the newest military branch. The service received approximately $40 billion for the current fiscal year, which ends on September 30. Space Force officials have long argued that the service needs to grow in order to effectively meet growing national security demands. Service officials previously said the Space Force is not only prepared to absorb a significant influx of funding, it’s also in urgent need of a large funding boost. 

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Despite the decline, 472 service members died by suicide last year, continuing a yearslong trend of increasing suicide rates among active duty service members. 

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The Social Security Administration's rollout of new systems for scheduling appointments and managing its caseload nationwide is on hold for now.

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The bad month for the TSP also means 12 of 16 funds are in the red for 2026.

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The Trump administration has opened applications for the next class of White House Fellows. Those selected for the fellowship program will spend a year in Washington, D.C., aiding the work of senior administration officials. Applications are open until April 22. Once candidates are selected, the paid fellowship opportunity begins this September and ends next August. 

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The Army has selected two companies to build massive data centers at Fort Bliss in Texas and at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. The deal follows President Donald Trump’s executive order to allow private companies to use federally owned land and resources to quickly build AI data centers. While the deal is not final, the selection of the two companies will allow the arm to enter negotiations and finalize the terms of the agreement. The Army said the two companies will be “responsible for financing, building, operating, maintaining and decommissioning the data centers on underutilized land at no upfront cost to taxpayers.” The data center at Fort Bliss is expected to be operational in 2027, while the project at Dugway Proving Ground is expected to be completed by 2029. The Army Corps of Engineers will play a key role in this project’s development.

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